Book Review: All Rights Reserved
Published in 2017, All Rights Reserved is the first installment of Word$, a young adult dystopian series written by Gregory Scott Katsoulis. The story is set in a universe where almost everything is copyrighted or trademarked and because of this, people must pay for the words they speak once they've turned fifteen. Speth Jime, the protagonist, opts to remain silent instead of paying for her words and actions, sparking a gargantuan sea of controversy and rebellion that threatens to tear up her society
Right off the bat, All Rights Reserved has an attractive premise as it meddles in territory that young adult books have rarely meddled in before. In creating a world where one can be sued for speaking one's mind, Katsoulis has inadvertently spun a tale that crosses the boundary between science fiction and young adult dystopia while bringing something completely new to the table. This isn't just a book to read for entertainment; it's a book meant to make you sit down and think. Freedom of speech and the fight for people's power are relevant topics in today's society and both of these things are reflected well within the novel.
Words matter. Words make ideas. They preserve truths and history. They express freedom and they shape it. Words mold our thoughts. That gives them value and power.
The main issue I had with this book was that Speth was very hard to connect with. In most books, we get to see multiple dimensions to a character: the personas they adopt around different people in different situations and, especially if the novel is written in the first person, the side they keep solely to themselves with their innermost thoughts and feelings. Speth's lack of dialogue, while seemingly essential to the plot, contributed to a lack of character development. From start to finish, she embraced the poorly thought-out ideology that becoming mute as a direct opposition to the government was for the greater good, no matter the other consequences. And trust me, there were many consequences, some more tragic than others.
The secondary characters were written infinitely better in comparison. They had great chemistry between them and their distinct personalities made reading their scenes fun and entertaining. They also contributed to most of the action and fight scenes, which in my opinion were the most enjoyable aspects of the novel.Additionally, something that fans of lighthearted fiction will enjoy are the recurring instances of subtle humor.
She took a bite and frowned. “Blissberry. Their worst flavor. Never trust a product named for a fruit that doesn’t exist."
From a more technical point of view, I thoroughly enjoyed the author's writing style. There's a large gap between overly flowery prose and minimalism and All Rights Reserved falls somewhere towards the center of that spectrum. I felt that that style was well-fitting, as it managed to get the messages and themes of the story across without over or underwhelming the reader. Everything was crystal clear and hard to misunderstand. Moreover, every chapter title was in the form of a word followed by what the word would have cost in Speth's world. That addition, no matter how small, is genius and very well appreciated and I must commend the publisher's decision to keep the titles that way.
Overall, I'd rate All Rights Reserved 3.5/5 stars as it was a smart, interesting and thought-provoking read. ◆
Yasti is a 15-year-old girl with big dreams and an intense love for books, art, and music. If she's not coming to the phone, it's probably because she's trying to experiment with an unconventional art technique or dreaming about the next Taylor Swift album. Contact Yasti through: yastiranjith@icloud.com